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Joss Whedon – Q&A with Matthew Pateman

What book in this field has inspired you the most?

There have been so many trail blazers but among the ones I return to most are Nikki Stafford’s Bite Me and Once Bitten – brilliant examples of top quality research and explanation aimed at a general audience.

Discovering and developing a new approach (for me) to thinking about mass mediated art forms.

What did you find hardest about writing your book?

Finishing it – for many reasons it took a LOT longer than planned.

Is this your first published book, or have you had others published?

This is my third book.

How did you feel when you saw your first published book?

It was a properly great moment in my professional life.

Why did you choose to publish with MUP?

The Television Series was a great venue for my work, and the contact with Matthew Frost is always so congenial and helpful.

Did you approach writing this book differently to any of your previous work?

Yes – it required a new way of conceptualising what I think Whedon is doing in cultural production, and that necessitated a significant move away from a textual approach to an historical / industry approach.

Have you had time to think about your next research project yet? What are you working on now?

My current and future projects are all revolving around a cultural history of the year 1997 (when Buffy and Teletubbies, Harry Potter and Titanic hit our worlds; and when the 21st century was born!)